The Dachstein, where Styria, Upper Austria and Salzburg meet, is one of the great limestone massifs of the Eastern Alps. Its south walls – Dachstein, Mitterspitz and Torstein – rise almost Dolomite-like above Ramsau. Eduard Pichl and companions climbed the Pichlweg (III) in 1901, and in 1909 the brothers Georg and Franz Steiner climbed the nearly 800 m south face by the Steinerweg; most other south-face routes were opened by Klaus Hoi and call for experienced climbers who can place their own protection. The Windlegergrat is one of the longest ridge climbs in the Eastern Alps, and the Gosaukamm on the north-west side, with peaks such as the Zahrinkogel and Angerstein, adds jagged limestone towers.
From Ramsau a toll road leads to the Dachstein-Südwandbahn cable car; the crags lie 30 to 60 minutes' walk away, some across the glacier. The Dachstein has about 400 mostly short routes, plus more than 20 via ferratas from the cable car alone; the Hofpürglhütte–Hofalm sport area has over 250 bolted routes and multi-pitch routes on the Däumling, and the Burgstall near Schladming has around 180 sport routes. On sunny summer days expect queues on the cable car descent. The main season is July to September.
Part of Styria, Dachstein Mountains has 323 routes documented on climbing.place. Routes range from grade 1 to 10. Explore its 26 crags and sectors below.
Often climbed in July, August, September.